Some residents praise green bins as delivery starts in Saskatoon

Saskatoon residents may be divided over whether they like the new city-wide green bin program, but some residents who’ve used the bins before only see good in the green.

Kimberley Thompson, a financial administrator in Saskatoon, said she’s used her green bin every year for more than a decade.

“I love it,” Thompson said when discussing Saskatoon’s city-wide launch of the green bin program. “You’re not filling up your (garbage) with leaves and trees and branches.”

She said diverting much of her waste to the green bin has cut down her total garbage output.

“It’s going somewhere where it will be repurposed and reused,” Thompson said.

There are other benefits too, Thompson said, pointing to the value of having a place other than a landfill to discard items like pizza boxes, and meat and dairy packaging.

She said her green bin doesn’t seem to get very dirty, even though she doesn’t bag that waste.

“It’s always been nice and clean, unlike the black bin,” Thompson said.

Kimberley Thompson examines the cleanliness of her green bin at her home in Saskatoon on March 13, 2023. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

Some residents online asked questions and expressed concerns about the potential smells that might come from bins full of decomposing waste, but Thompson said she’s never had that issue, and she actually enjoys the earthy smell of fresh grass and lawn clippings when those are in her green bin.

As for concerns about storage space and having to juggle three city waste bins, Thompson says it’s been easy.

With the two-week rotating schedule, she said her bins don’t all have to be put out for collection on the same day. She’s been able to store them neatly beside her home when they aren’t at the end of her driveway, she said.

And while the fee might be a slight increase from what she was paying before, Thompson said it’s a worthwhile trade because the program will now run all year.

“I think this is a great move by the city,” Thompson said.

Kevin Trew, another Saskatoon resident, said he and his family opted into the green cart program as soon as they moved to Saskatoon in the fall of 2021.

Coming from a small town, Trew said he and his wife enjoy gardening and used their own compost bin previously. The couple firmly believes in the benefits of composting, Trew noted, and wanted to keep doing it in the city.

Trew even became a certified “compost coach” with the City of Saskatoon to promote composting. He said it’s important to divert as much waste away from landfills as possible.

Throughout last summer, Trew said his bin — which is used by his household of four — was never more than three-quarters full by pickup day.

Like Thompson, Trew said it’s exciting that the program will soon operate year-round to collect table scraps and other materials beyond yard waste.